Moldova secures natural gas and electricity for another month

Moldova secured natural gas and electricity supplies for another month, but the situation remains unpredictable.

Gazprom has officially confirmed that it will supply gas to Moldova in May, even though the Chisinau authorities have failed to conduct an independent audit of historical debt, which the Russian supplier says would exceed USD 700 mln, Economica.net reported.

The audit was part of a memorandum sealed by the Government in Chisinau last November when Moldovagaz and Gazprom concluded a new long-term contract. Prime minister Natalia Gavrilita said that given the circumstances, the audit cannot be carried out now, and Moldova asked for a one-year postponement of the deadline (which was May 1).

It’s not clear whether Gazprom accepted the 12-month postponement. Gazprom only confirmed the volumes of natural gas contracted to be supplied to the Republic of Moldova in May this year: 32 mln cubic meters of gas for the right bank of the Dniester and 131 mln cubic meters for the left bank of the Dniester. Moldovagaz also reported that gas deliveries are planned on the traditional transportation route, and the price calculated for May is USD 910 per thousand cubic meters - down from over USD 1,100 in April.

Separately, the Russian-controlled GRES power plant in Cuciurgan, Transnistria, agreed to supply electricity to Moldova proper for another month - May - at a price of USD 59.5 per MWh, Deschide.md reported. The price is not much above the USD 56 charged under the one-year contract that expired at the end of April and significantly below the USD 96 price asked by the two bidders (GRES and a trader selling power from Ukraine).

But Moldova agreed concomitantly to extend a one-month environmental permit to the steel plant in Ribnita, Transnistria. The move was accused of being part of a bargain with the separatist region - which probably was the case, more or less openly.

The biggest problem, however, remains that Russia maintains leverage over the political developments in Moldova.

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